Ukraine sees Europe helping bridge gap left by US aid impasse

European Union member states are working to bridge the gap in Ukraine as the U.S. Congress continues to delay passing additional military aid.

A Bloomberg report last week quoting Czech Deputy Defense Minister Jan Žires said Kiev is on track to significantly increase its stockpile of artillery shells thanks to an emergency effort led by the Czech Republic. The aid package, which involves several European countries, comes as Ukraine faces an ammunition crisis amid an escalating war with Russia.

It’s unclear how the artillery package is being financed, but Iles told Bloomberg that it is backed by Canada, Denmark and other countries that did not wish to be identified. Belgium also pledged $216 million to the Czech-led effort last week, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Saturday that the Netherlands would contribute $162 million to the effort.

According to Czech President Petr Pavel, the new package will deliver a total of more than 800,000 shells to Ukraine in the coming months, including 500,000 155mm shells and 300,000 122mm shells.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Iles said the effort “shows that we’re actually doing something rather than waiting to see what happens on (Capitol Hill).” .

newsweek Ukraine’s Defense Ministry was contacted for comment via email on Monday night.

While the White House has clearly stood by Kiev since the Russian invasion began, House Republicans have also made no specific demands for funding and reforms focused on the U.S.-Mexico border in Ukraine. has resisted signing a bill that would provide additional support to the United States. .

Senators passed a bipartisan foreign aid bill last month that would allocate additional aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

The Pentagon told reporters in January that the fighting in Congress was preventing the Pentagon from “meeting Ukraine’s most urgent battlefield needs, including artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, air defense interceptors, and more.”

Washington is a major supplier of 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine, having delivered more than 2 million rounds since February 2022. The U.S. military announced last month that it plans to double monthly ammunition production by the fall to meet Ukraine’s needs. The plan is to reach a production rate of up to 100,000 shells per month by October 2025.

But Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the Army needs additional funding from Congress to reach 100,000 personnel. With current funding, the United States plans to increase production to 80,000 shells by the fall, nearly triple current production.

Other European allies have also announced plans to boost Ukraine’s artillery stockpile, which has reached extremely low levels in recent months. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Munich Security Conference that her country had committed “all artillery” to Kiev.